Jupiter last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Jupiter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jupiter.

Meaning of Jupiter

A surname derived from the Roman mythological god of the sky and thunder.

Jupiter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jupiter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jupiter in America

Jupiter is the 28525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jupiter surname appeared 836 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jupiter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jupiter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 28525 29840 -4.51%
Count 836 743 11.78%
Proportion per 100k 0.28 0.28 0.00%

The history of the last name Jupiter

The surname Jupiter is believed to have originated in ancient Rome, where it was likely derived from the name of the god Jupiter, the supreme deity in Roman mythology. The name itself is thought to come from the Latin words "Iove" (the god Jupiter) and "pater" (father), meaning "father of the gods."

Jupiter was a name that was initially associated with the ruling class and nobility in ancient Rome. It was likely first adopted as a surname by families who claimed descent from the god Jupiter or who were closely associated with his worship and temples. Over time, the name spread beyond the upper classes and became more widely used across different regions of the Roman Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jupiter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in southern Italy, which dates back to the 9th century AD. In this codex, there are several references to individuals with the surname Jupiter, suggesting that the name had already become established by that time.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Jupiter was not uncommon in various parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and France. Some notable individuals who bore this surname include:

  1. Petrus Jupiter (c. 1130 - c. 1200), an Italian philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Paris.
  2. Johannes Jupiter (c. 1235 - c. 1310), a French scholar and ecclesiastical writer who authored several works on canon law and theology.
  3. Guillelmus Jupiter (fl. 1300s), a French priest and canon of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, mentioned in various church records from the early 14th century.
  4. Antonius Jupiter (c. 1420 - c. 1490), an Italian humanist and scholar who was a professor of rhetoric and philosophy in Bologna and Padua.
  5. Hieronymus Jupiter (c. 1480 - c. 1550), an Italian poet and translator from Genoa, known for his translations of Greek and Latin works into Italian.

While the surname Jupiter has its roots in ancient Roman mythology and was relatively widespread in medieval Europe, it remains a relatively uncommon surname today, particularly outside of Italy and France, where it likely had its strongest historical presence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jupiter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jupiter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jupiter was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 16.87% 141
Non-Hispanic Black Only 76.79% 642
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.27% 19
Hispanic Origin 3.35% 28

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jupiter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 16.87% 17.77% -5.20%
Black 76.79% 76.99% -0.26%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.27% 2.56% -12.01%
Hispanic 3.35% 2.15% 43.64%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jupiter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jupiter, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Jupiter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 13, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/jupiter-surname-popularity/.

"Jupiter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/jupiter-surname-popularity/. Accessed 13 December, 2024

Jupiter last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/jupiter-surname-popularity/.

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